Chapter 16 - Cleared
Yunjin noticed that Y/N was becoming more and more withdrawn as the days of her hiatus went on, so she decided to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with her.
"How are you feeling, Y/N?" Yunjin asked, her voice full of concern. She felt kinda stupid because she knew exactly how Y/N felt, but voicing it can help sometimes.
Y/N sighed heavily, "I don't know, Yunjin. I just feel so lost and confused right now. I didn't do anything wrong, but everyone thinks that I did. I’ve seen many idols get dragged til eternity for scandals. What if I get through this, but this never leaves my reputation?"
Yunjin took Y/N's hand and gently squeezed it. "I know it's tough, but you have to stay strong. We believe in you, and we know that you're innocent. People will know the truth too." Yunjin pulled Y/N’s body into hers and lay down on her bed. The two stayed like that for an hour, until Yunjin had to leave for a schedule. Poor Y/N.
Meanwhile, Kazuha was in the gym, punching the bag as hard as possible. She was angry, angry at the accusations, angry at the media, and angry at whoever had made these false allegations against her friend. She was never a violent person, but since she had to exercise anyway, she thought this would be a great outlet for now. Can this nightmare be over?
As for Eunchae she had also taken to spending more time with Y/N whenever she was at the dorm. She would sit with Y/N and watch movies or play games with her, trying to take her mind off things. Even if it was like what? Half an hour or so because of the busy schedules, she knew Y/N would enjoy being distracted for a while.
During the past days Y/N was grateful for the support of her friends, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was letting them down. She couldn't help but feel guilty for being the reason that they weren't able to promote as a full group. The staff even had to re-choreograph their songs as five-member stages. Y/N knew exactly what that meant – extra practice for her friends. Despite her inner turmoil, Y/N put on a brave face when her members called her for video calls during their promotions. She didn't want them to worry about her any more than they already were. Some of her smiles were genuine, others were fake. It was hard on her. Deep down, she was grateful for the moments of solace and comfort provided by her members, but she longed for the day when she could be with them and perform again.
Sakura and Chaewon approached Y/N, who was sitting on the couch with Eunchae, watching TV.
"Y/Na, we miss practicing with you. We know you can't perform right now, but we want you to practice with us. Even if it’s a bit different," Sakura said, looking at Y/N with concern. Y/N looked at them both and then at Eunchae, who nodded her head in encouragement.
"Okay, I'll come," Y/N said, her voice trembling slightly. “Thanks.” Of course they wanted her there with them, she was part of the team.
As they were about to start with practice, Chaewon was handed a phone by one of the managers. A few minutes later she came rushing through the door and gently pulled Y/N aside.
"Y/N, I spoke to the CEO, and he said that the accusations might be resolved soon," Chaewon said, placing a comforting hand on Y/N's shoulder, a premature smile forming on the leader’s face.
Y/N’s face began to soften. “Oh my god, he said so? That has to be a good sign, right? I mean… he’d have to be quite sure…” Y/N frowned again.
“It’s gonna be alright. I can feel it,” Chaewon grabbed her hands and looked at her with hope. Y/N felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"I really hope so,” Y/N said, her voice breaking. Chaewon pulled Y/N into a tight embrace, letting her cry on her shoulder.
"We're here for you, Y/N. Don't ever forget that," Chaewon said, kissing Y/N's head to comfort her. Sakura and Eunchae watched from a distance, feeling relieved that Y/N was able to find some comfort in Chaewon's embrace. They knew that Y/N was going through a tough time, but they also knew that she was strong enough to get through it.
By now the first three weeks of promotion passed by with the remaining members continuing their press dates and appearing on variety shows without Y/N. Despite missing her presence, they tried to have fun and create new memories together. As the accusations against Y/N lingered and twitter users were of no help regarding the hate-train, the group tried to remain positive, but it was clear that the situation weighed heavily on them. Yunjin was bothered by the fact that Y/N wasn’t included. During a task, they had to draw their group and Yunjin intentionally drew all six members despite Y/N being on hiatus. She knew the company disliked that, but she really didn’t care. As Y/N watched the broadcast with the members a few days later, she cried and hugged Yunjin when she saw the thoughtful gesture. They thought of her during their spotlight.
In a live YouTube cooking show, the girls were challenged to a cooking competition, and hilariously, Sakura being the chef of the group ended up burning their dish. The camera crew caught the moment, and the clip soon went viral, causing a flurry of laughter among their fans. Yunjin went viral because she accidentally ate some of the severely burned food and had to get checked up by the crew due to coughing so much afterward. Oh Y/N loved watching her members have fun, but she missed being a part of their debut promotions. You only get to debut once after all.
However, as if the universe pitied her, later the same night they were suddenly met with amazing news as the police released a statement clearing Y/N of all accusations, citing fabrication of evidence against her. She was cleared.
Yunjin heard it first and stormed into Y/N’s room, jumping onto her and forcing her to lay on her bed.
“What the-,” Y/N shrieked, totally confused.
“You’re innocent! The police cleared your name!” Yunjin turned to look at her and immediately hugged her again.
“I’m cleared?” Y/N asked in disbelief. “I- Uhm- Everyone knows?” she asked with tears forming in her eyes.
“YES! They said you didn’t do it!” Yunjin grabbed Y/N’s face as a few tears formed in her eyes as well. Y/N covered her mouth with her hands and started to cry. First only a little bit and then she full on cried for a few minutes while Yunjin held their foreheads together. She was finally free.
“YUNJIN? Y/N?” Sakura shouted, hearing the cries from her room. “Is everything- wait, what happened?” she immediately knelt down next to the bed, reaching for Y/N’s free hand.
“I’m cleared, unnie,” Y/N said smiling through the tears. Sakura exhaled loudly. She didn’t say anything she just hugged Y/N really tight and the younger girl clung to her like a koala.
“I’ll get the others.” Yunjin sniffled and stood up from the bed.
“I never doubted you, I hope you know that,” Sakura said calmly. Y/N nodded and squeezed her once more before releasing her.
Chaewon was the first to enter, she immediately threw her arms around her.
"Thank you for believing in me, unnie," Y/N said, her sobbing now having turned into cute little sniffles. Chaewon hugged Y/N tightly, planting a kiss on her head.
"Of course, Y/N. We're a family, and we always have each other's backs," Chaewon said, her voice filled with emotion and relief. She didn’t want to lose Y/N, especially not so soon after debut. As the leader it was her job to protect her members.
“Unnie,” Eunchae said with red eyes. Y/N smiled and opened her arms for Eunchae. They really felt like home.
Then a noise came from the hallway, turning everyone’s gaze towards the sliding door. Yunjin had returned and stood there with Kazuha now watching the scene.
“Kaza, I’m cleared!” Y/N shouted excitedly. Kazuha broke a wide smile and threw herself around Y/N’s neck, holding her the tightest she’d ever had.
“I knew it,” she whispered. Now it was Y/N’s turn to exhale the air she’d been holding in for weeks.
After a rather long hug, they both pulled apart as Eunchae jumped next to them on the bed earning a warning from Chaewon, causing them all to laugh when Eunchae just laughed and continued jumping out of excitement. Eunchae never fails to bring so much joy to them, even in moments like these.
“WE NEED TO CELEBRATE!”
After a celebratory dinner ordered by Sakura, Chaewon pulled Y/N aside.
“Y/N, I’m so happy your name got cleared. But as your leader,” she suddenly put on a stern face, “I need you to never play the martyr again.”
“I promise.” They both smiled at each other and Chaewon pulled Y/N into a hug.
“Hey, Y/N!” Yunjin handed her phone to Y/N, showing her the overwhelming amount of supportive messages and tweets from her fans.
"Look at this! Your fans got your back too, and we always will!" Yunjin picked Y/N up and spun her around hollering in excitement. Y/N was laughing and crying out of relief. Lmao Yunjin is a amazing.
As she let her down again, Y/N felt tears streaming down her face as she read the messages on Yunjin’s phone. "Thank you, everyone," Y/N said, side-hugging Yunjin tightly.
The girls were ecstatic at the news, and as Y/N's fans came to her defense online, expressing their support and celebrating her innocence, the members decided they’d post a thread of their favorite Y/N pics onto their Instagram, each with a caption sweeter than the one before. The girls spent the rest of the night celebrating and making new memories together, knowing that they could finally move forward with Y/N by their side once again. Le Sserafim was finally complete again. Le Sserafim was six again.
And after over two weeks, Y/N was finally able to sleep. Little did she know, she wasn’t the only Le Sserafim member having trouble sleeping all this time…
It was the day of their final music show performance, and Y/N was a bundle of nerves. She had been cleared of the bullying accusations, but the fear of being in the spotlight again was still there. Kazuha could sense her anxiety and came to her side.
"Y/N unnie, you can do this! I know it's been hard, but we are all here for you," Kazuha said in her broken Korean, remembering how Y/N had helped her before their debut stage. She looked at Y/N with a sweet smile on her face. “Make this last performance count.” God, she’s an angel. Y/N smiled back, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over her.
"Thank you, Kazuha. I'll do my best." Y/N knew that this was her chance to prove her haters wrong, to show them that she was innocent and that she had the talent and ambition to succeed. As they got ready for their performance, Y/N could feel her passion and drive returning.
"I'm going to give this last performance everything I have," she thought to herself.
As they stepped onto the stage, the members exchanged nervous glances, but Y/N was determined. They performed flawlessly, and when later the results were announced, they had won again. The members hugged Y/N tightly, tears streaming down their faces.
"We did it! We did it together!" Eunchae squealed.
The members and staff had chosen Y/N to make a short speech to thank their fans for their endless support, "I couldn't have done it without all of you," she said, her voice breaking with emotion.
“Thanks for believing in me through this tough time. But also, I want to say ‘Thank you’ to my beautiful members. Le Sserafim, fighting!” As they left the stage, she couldn't help but feel grateful for her members' unwavering support. The members hugged her again, and Y/N knew that she had found her forever family in them. Despite the trials they had faced, they had come out stronger on the other side, and Y/N was filled with hope for their future together.
After the hectic promotion period, the members of Le Sserafim were relieved to have some time to settle into their new domestic routine. As their new schedule wasn't only filled with dance and vocal practice, but also variety shows, performances, and fan meetings it was hard to adapt to. So to no surprise, the prospect of their upcoming variety show, a two-night hotel vacation in Seoul, caused a lot of excitement. However, their excitement died down when their company announced that the show was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
The girls were disappointed, but they understood that sometimes things don't go as planned. (A/N I have something planned dw)
Yunjin voiced her disappointment, "I was looking forward to a nice break. I guess we will just have to wait a little longer."
Eunchae agreed, "Yeah, it's a bummer, but at least we can have some time off."
After their debut promotions, it feels like the LE SSERAFIM members have finally settled into their dorm, with Kazuha, Sakura and Y/N sharing the first floor, while Chaewon, Yunjin, and Eunchae share the second floor. Each of them luckily had their own bedrooms, furnished according to their style.
Chaewon and Sakura were ecstatic when they heard of their new dorm arrangements after sharing rooms with many members in Iz*one.
“Knock knock,” Chaewon stood smiling behind the half-opened door.
“Hey,” Sakura smiled, happy to see her.
“Remember how Chaeyeon had to steal Chaeryeong’s bed for you?” Chaewon chuckled as she sat next to Sakura on her bed. One thing about Iz*one, they went through it at the dorms.
“URGH! Don’t get me started. I felt so bad for Chaeryeong when I heard that. But seriously, I hated that company,” Sakura scoffed.
Silence.
She sensed Chaewon had something on her mind.
“What’s on your mind, leadernim?” she tried to cheer her up.
“Do you think this could be a home for us?” Chaewon asked thoughtfully after a moment.
“Yeah. I like the dorm. I think here we can all grow individually. Privacy and space are important. I think it’s good. The bed is comfy,” she smiled.
“...I meant the girls,” Chaewon said quietly, looking at the floor. Oh. This is what this is about.
“Look,” Sakura started, trying to catch Chaewon’s eyes. “I know why you’re doubting this right now. The past month has been insane. But I’ve never felt this excited. I’m terrified, but, we’re here and together we will fight for what we want.”
“It’s just- the girls. What if…” the leader trailed off. She was tense.
“We get into a fight?” Sakura genuinely couldn’t follow Chaewon’s strain of thought.
“What if they leave too? Huh? What if we disband…. again?” she whispered that last word.
“Oh, Chaewonnie,” Sakura gently swung her arm around her shoulders. “I think we shouldn’t think too far ahead. Think about the pandemic or the accusations. We can only live in the moment. Things happen which we can’t control," she briefly stopped.
"I can’t take your fears away, I have them too,” she turned to look at Chaewon. “But we can choose to live in the present and the immediate future. And you can’t restrain yourself from getting attached to them.”
“Trust me, no effort can keep me away from them. But it’s so scary, unnie,” Chaewon said, burying her head in Sakura’s shoulder.
“It is. But as long as we can we should enjoy it, right?”
Chaewon nodded. “Yeah.”